The invention relates to an apparatus for administering fluids through the nose by means of a tube having a distal end and a proximal end.
Such apparatus are known, for example, in the field of artifical feeding. For thus purpose, a tube is usually introduced through the nose of the patient who frequently depends on arificial feeding for a very long time, in such a manner that the distal end of the tube is located in the stomach area, while the proximal end of the tube is disposed outside the nose and is accessible from the outside. In known apparatuses, the proximal end is secured on the nose or adjacent parts of the face by means of adhesive plaster to prevent it from slipping either back in or out during those times when no feeding is taking place.
A disadvantage of the known apparatuses is that the proximal end of the tube is visible because of the manner in which it is secured. In particular for patients who require long artificial feeding because of their illness, this visibility has the disadvantage that their dependence on this type of nutrition and thus the existence of their illness is obvious to everyone. With many patients, this in turn, leads to negative phychic effects. In addition, the visible securing of the proximal end of the nose tube represents a substantial impairment of the outer appearance of the patient.
The catalog of the company, Rusch Chirurgie, #III/3, 2nd. Ed., 1977, page 14 and page 36, shows a feeding tube or pneumatic nose tube. The feeding tube shown here has the aforementioned known problems, i.e., it is led out of the nose of the patient and thus represents a visible impairment of the patient.
The pneumatic nose tube consists of a body which fills the nasal cavity and from which a connection piece extends both into the nostril and projects out of the nostril so that it also represent a visible impairment of the patient.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems in using feed tubes, the operative insertion of the tube into the immediate region of the stomach has been suggested, but this was unacceptable in practice. Many patients do not want the necessary surgical intervention and with some the intervention is either not possible or leads to additional undesired risks.
The problem to be solved by the invention is therefore, the provision of a device for administering fluids through the nose by means of a tube of the type outlined above, which makes it possible to avoid impairing the patient by visible fixing of the proximal end of the tube.